


We Owned The Night

by Herskirtsarentthatshort



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-04
Updated: 2017-01-10
Packaged: 2018-08-19 11:31:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8204644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Herskirtsarentthatshort/pseuds/Herskirtsarentthatshort
Summary: Oliver reminisces when he bumps into someone he used to know...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A short one-shot, inspired by the song by Lady Antebellum - We Owned the Night

It all came flooding back to Oliver the moment he saw her standing there, leaning on the counter, hip kicked out emphasising her pert butt.

The first time he saw her she was hidden behind shopping bags and they had collided; smashed bodies so forcefully, so  _ completely _ that it sent her fresh food purchases tumbling out and across the sidewalk. He had had his head in his phone trying to decipher his sister’s latest business idea. The next thing he knew he had his arms full of bags and a very young and beautiful woman with the brightest blue eyes and softest blonde hair. He should know - after copping a face full of it as he barreled into her, all hands trying to keep them upright.

After profuse apologies on both sides (and a smashed phone on his) and the food was salvaged (as much as could be anyway), he fixed her with a friendly smile. “Hi, I’m Oliver.”

She had taken his outstretched hand - which was feeling particularly calloused in her soft and smooth one - and introduced herself as Felicity. She explained, rather nervously and not all succinctly, that she was new in town, that she was opening the new veterinary hospital. It was her first day in town and she was stocking up. She was also very clearly checking him out - which she didn’t seem to notice, making Oliver smile. 

He offered to carry the brown paper bags and walk her home. As she deliberated whether to trust him (to her he was a stranger, after all), a group of four older ladies walked by. 

“Mayor Queen. How nice to see you…”

Felicity’s eyes grew wide at that and she took in his suited appearance once again, as if she was looking at him for the first time. As if the suit in this small town finally made sense.

“If you’ll excuse me ladies, I’m just walking our new veterinarian home. This is Felicity…?” 

“Smoak,” she supplied.

 

It was another fortnight before he spoke to her again. After he handed her the shopping bags and said goodbye on her front stoop, he only saw her from afar. He was keen to speak to her again but chickened out several times, once even as he got to the door of her practice.

It was the town meeting, it had been a stinking, blistering hot day and the thick air decided to hang around after the sun had set. He had had enough of the suit and dressed instead in a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved blue collared shirt. As he sat, half listening to the Jocial Club (so named because everyone’s name in the club began with a ‘J’) ramble on about the town dance, and half cursing the steady beads of sweat trickling down into his boxers, he spotted her, halfway, sitting next to his friend, Tommy. 

She was concentrating hard and taking the occasional notes. He caught Tommy’s eye and smiled, both eyebrows slightly raised. He saw Tommy nudge Felicity and signal with his head towards Oliver. They locked eyes and immediately the crowded room dimmed so to Oliver it was just him and Felicity. She smiled warmly at him and gave a little wave, stifling a giggle as the pen she was holding flew into Tommy’s face. Oliver bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from grinning stupidly at her.

He was still completely entranced by her when he felt a shove to his shoulder and the Deputy Mayor was looking expectantly at him. 

Once the meeting wrapped, he decided he would make a point of going over to her. Mayoral duties of course. See how she was settling in, did she need anything, et cetera. 

He got hounded almost immediately by other townsfolk demanding his attention. He saw Felicity look over at him a few times as she walked to the door, and by the time he could disentangle himself from the enthusiastic and inappropriate older ladies, Felicity was at the bottom of the stairs chatting with Tommy.

He had said hello before he could talk himself out of it. Tommy politely excused himself, saying he had a prior engagement, and left Oliver and Felicity alone. 

Drawing on all the training he had as Mayor of making small talk, he began to ask Felicity how she was settling in. She was a chatter, he quickly learned. He didn’t have to worry about filling in silence as there wasn’t any. She was also quite expressive when she spoke, using her hands to really emphasise what she was saying, at times hitting his arms or chest. He managed to avoid an accidental hit to the face.

They walked on slowly, occasionally interrupted by people wishing Oliver good night but for the most part Felicity told him all about her work, where she studied ( School of Veterinary Medicine  at the University of California), how she came to be a vet and what she was doing here. 

“I lived here for the first five years of my life,” she revealed. 

That had surprised Oliver immensely. He couldn’t remember any Smoak’s living there. 

“We lived on the outskirts of town. My dad was a farmer. We rarely came into town,” she explained. 

Before long, they reached her house. It was on 16th street, just off main street, and in Oliver’s opinion one of the prettiest in town. It was tree lined with the large trees providing a stunning canopy casting the street into shade during the blistering hot days. All the houses were timber terraces with neat front yards and a few had picket fences. It was also full of families; kids were often seen riding their bikes or playing in the street.

“Would you like to come in?” Felicity had asked, drawing him out of his thoughts. 

His eyebrows shot up. “Sure.”

He had stayed for a few hours, both of them chatting over a late dinner. It was his turn to talk that time. He had spoken of his family, of the complicated relationship with his parents, how much he loved his little sister, what he loved and didn’t love about living in a small town, and how he came to be Mayor.

He left when Felicity fell asleep mid-sentence curled up on the couch, and he simply laid a light blanket over her.

 

The following months were a secret whirlwind, meeting at each other’s houses or parks or museums out of town. Oliver would send her flowers at her practice, signing them only with a drawing of an arrow - and Felicity would display them proudly on the front desk.

If they saw each other in public they would chit-chat as much as anyone else would. Their secret romance though was revealed at the town dance a few months after that. 

The main street had been closed, lights had been put up that stretched from one side of the road to the other, alcohol and food were flowing…and Felicity looked beautiful. Flawless. Stunning. Literally. Oliver, one hand in his jeans pocket, the other nursing a beer, was casting a Mayoral eye over the scene. He saw her talking to Laurel, Sara and Thea, and he stopped walking, stopped listening, stopped seeing anything,  _ anyone _ but her.

She was in a white dress that was shorter at the front than at the back, thin straps and a deep V that showed off her shoulders and chest that Oliver had devoured so many times. 

Under the soft lighting, she glowed.

Oliver licked his lips and hummed with unrestrained pleasure. He honestly didn’t care if he got caught. If they got found out. 

She looked up at him then and she smiled wide and open, holding her cup up in salutation. He noticed the way her eyes flickered to the other three women when he started walking towards her with a devilishly look in his eye. She took a hesitant step back.

_ To hell with it. _

When he reached them he murmured a barely polite ‘excuse me’ to Laurel, Sara and Thea, before taking Felicity in his arms, dipping her and claiming her lips with his. He muffled her squeal of surprise and savored the warmth of her mouth. 

They finally disengaged and he stood her back up on two feet, keeping a steadying hand on her hip. She had swayed a little into his chest, lips swollen and eyes not yet focused. Where there was silence at the spectacle there was now cheering and wolf-whistling, the loudest from Thea.

He laughed and Felicity blushed, but she had a grin on her face as she looked up at him. He had winked back. He had loved her. He had found peace and a home he didn’t know he had been searching for. He felt alive. And he hadn’t wanted to hide that anymore. He didn’t care who knew. 

It had been the best two years of his life. Right up until the day she left him.

 

So, here he was five years later, at the market staring at the back of Felicity’s head; her hair was short and straight now, but still blonde. And her back, all slender and smooth and tanned in a blue tank. And those tiny daisy dukes showing off that arse that he had held, and squeezed and caressed; and showing off those toned legs that had wrapped around his waist and squeezed and urged him on  _ faster, harder _ . 

He wasn’t proud of how he had handled her rejection of him, how he acted and reacted. Still, he thought about her every single day. Wondered where she was, what she was doing. Was she dating? Was she married? God, the thought nauseated him. 

_ Did she ever think of him? _

Her voice brought him back to the present.

She thanked slime-ball Grady at the counter, turned on her heel… and he finally came face to face with her. And that’s when time stood still and everything but Felicity ceased to exist.

She stopped the moment she saw him, her mouth parted in an ‘O’, eyes blue and wide behind her glasses. He drank in the sight of her, ignoring the crushing ache in his chest. 

She bit her lip before appearing to snap out of her own gaze, and took a tentative stop towards him. His heart thundered, wildly out of rhythm. 

“Oliver?” she flashed a brilliant smile, taking another two steps, more sure of herself this time. “Hi.” 

 

THE END.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity returns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this little story wouldn't leave me alone and I really wanted to conclude it with Felicity's POV.   
> I hope you enjoy it.  
> Apologies for any typos!

Felicity was equally terrified as she was antsy as she parked her car in front of the market. She paused with her hand on the door handle, both eyes dead ahead. 

 

_ Was this moment? Was this going to be the moment she bumped into him? _

 

She had been asking herself the same question since the sign said the town was ten miles away. Ten miles to ruin her manicure. Ten miles to pull over to the side of the road and throw up her breakfast. Ten miles to sweat through a t-shirt. And ten miles to almost talk herself out of it.

 

She walked through the door of the market without remembering getting out of the car. Had she locked it?

 

_ Perhaps she should go check. _

 

“Felicity?” 

 

She jumped, releasing an undignified squeal. 

 

“Felicity Smoak?”

 

She turned around, finally realising it was a woman’s voice. She breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t  _ him _ . “Mrs Darhk.”

 

“I didn’t know you were back in town.”

 

“Oh...you know,” Felicity puffed, nerves still eating her stomach. “Just...passing through.”

 

Mrs Darhk raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips. She had never been Felicity’s biggest fan and there was no love lost between them. Mrs Darhk walked on and Felicity was left alone on the sidewalk. Exposed. 

 

_ He could turn the corner at any minute. Pull up at any second. _

 

The panic at the thought had her marching back into the market and firmly shutting the door behind her. She allowed herself two deep breaths before ducking into the first aisle...and coming face to face with Oliver Queen. She suppressed a scream with a hand over her mouth. It was only a poster. A very large, a very life-like poster. The face she had known, the face that had been etched into her memory was looking back at her. No, screaming back at her, really. 

 

It was in fact outside this very market that they met, five years ago. Felicity would never forget that, not for as long as she lived. She would also never forget those following two years, no matter how much she had tried. And God,  _ had she tried. _

 

She had tried to forget the butterflies in her stomach as he had walked her home, as their hands had brushed as he passed her the shopping bags; the way she had seemed to float around her house, her feet never feeling the cool boards beneath. The way he had looked at her, the way he had smiled at her…

 

The following morning she had woken up with a hangover...a hangover from thinking about Mayor Oliver Queen too much. She chastised herself for fantasising about him, for letting herself be distracted from coming back to what she had planned to do, at the first opportunity.

 

_ You’re only human, Felicity. He’s unfairly gorgeous. Those eyes. That suit. That body. You’re allowed to be distracted. _

 

“You’re not helping,” she had muttered to herself. 

 

So she had kept her head down for the next couple of weeks, concentrating on opening her practice and treating her patients. She had refused to allow herself to think of Mayor Oliver Queen or you know, come up with some mortifying excuse to bump into him…

 

And she really had been doing quite well until one morning.  _ The  _ morning when she had known she was a goner. It had been early, the sun had only risen an hour earlier but she had been keen to get to work and relieve Sara from night duty, as well as catch up on some paperwork. She had a coffee in one hand and files in another when, about ten feet in front of her, Mayor Oliver Queen rounded the corner in a black t-shirt and gym pants. He was sweating profusely, like sweating through said shirt and pants. Even from that far back she had been able to see his hair glistening, the wet fabric of his shirt clinging to his chest. She had fumbled the coffee cup to her lips in a futile quest to quench her suddenly parched mouth. 

 

She had known the moment he saw her; his footing stumbled and her heart lurched at the way his blue eyes had narrowed onto hers. 

 

“Mayor Queen!” Someone had called from across the street and the moment was broken. Felicity fled the five extra feet to the vet clinic and slammed the door behind her causing the bell above it to come crashing to the floor. 

 

After that she had actively  _ avoided _ him whenever she could. She didn’t trust herself. After the disaster that was Cooper... 

 

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t befriend his friends, did it? And that was how she had found herself sitting next to Mayor Oliver Queen’s best friend, Tommy. He had been the real charmer, making her laugh and feel at ease and good about herself all at the same time.  But he had also been too smart, too observant. 

 

“So, you and Oliver, huh?” Tommy nudged her. 

 

She worked hard to stop spitting out her coffee and spraying bitch of the town, Isabel, in the back of the head. 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“The number of times you’ve actively avoided looking at him? You’ve got it bad.”

 

She had shaken her head in complete denial. “No. Nope. Don’t know  _ what _ you’re talking about.”

 

Tommy had laughed. “You aren’t the first and you won’t be the last. But,” he leant close and said quietly, “I think he has it just as bad for you.”

 

Her heart had spluttered. Stopped. Started again. “Wha - what?”

 

“He gets this weird look on his face, like a genuine smile whenever you’re mentioned, and he’s just...different. He’s a good guy, you’ll see if you’ll give him a chance.”

 

The pen had flown out of her hand and hit Tommy in the face before she even knew it. 

 

“That!  _ That!” _ he had whispered hoarsely at the stupid grin Oliver was miserably failing to keep at bay. 

  
  


She had broken out into an immediate sweat (that had nothing to do with the current weather) when she heard Mayor Oliver behind her. She silently cursed Tommy for begging off and leaving them alone. She had taken a deep breath and a peek up at the outrageously good-looking man and suppressed a whimper at the sight of his quiet smile fixed squarely on her. 

 

“Can I walk you home?” he had asked. 

 

Felicity hardly knew what she had said to him that night. They walked back to her house in no rush, enjoying the quiet streets and the smell of summer. But while her feet were slow moving, her mouth was not. Words tumbled out of her at the gentle prodding by him and her heart was going a million miles an hour. And before she knew what she was asking, she had invited him inside. 

 

He had looked just as surprised as she felt. But she wasn’t going to go back. Tommy’s voice echoed in her head.  _ If you’ll give him a chance… _

 

So, she did. And while the nerves were still there as they shared a bottle of wine and a simple pasta that not even she could mess up, her heart had slowed and the blood had stopped rushing into her ears. She had learnt to listen to what Mayor Oliver was saying, learnt to look him in the eye - and hold it - as she smiled and laughed; she had even felt herself brave enough to reach across and squeeze his hand when he had told her of his difficult parents. 

 

But she hadn’t been so stupid to ignore the spark and warmth that radiated up her arm and flooded her body at the touch. And neither had he, she realised. He had stopped mid-sentence and looked down at her hand on his. His thumb had grazed hers and Felicity thought she would explode from the tightness in her chest and the heat in her stomach. 

  
  


When she woke in the morning, back stiff from sleeping on the couch, the first thing she noticed was her glasses neatly placed on the coffee table. She had reached across to get them and after she put them on she saw the note. 

 

_ Felicity, I would really like to see you again. Perhaps I could cook us dinner this time? Oliver. _

 

With his number written underneath it. 

 

And over the following months he had become less Mayor Oliver Queen to her and more just Oliver. She let her guard down and let herself just  _ feel. _ The secret rendevous were a thrill for her. For both of them. She had taken him out to her family’s farm-  which she now owned- and they swam naked in the natural water spring in the hills. Made love on the back deck under the stars. Ate dinner and drank wine by candlelight. 

  
  


Once the shock had worn off after Oliver’s big reveal at the town dance, she revelled in the feeling of being able to just be together without having to hide it. They held hands, they stole kisses and she even got Oliver onto the dancefloor. For three songs they swayed, twirled and dipped. She had been living inside of a movie. Did she love him? With every fibre of her being, with every cell in her body. More than she knew could ever be possible. So much so, she buried the fear and ignored the voice telling her to run, telling her it was too good to be true. 

  
  


It had been the best two years of Felicity’s life - her clinic was doing really well, she had made great friends with Sara and Thea, she had squashed Isabel to the ground when she made a play for Oliver. And _ Oliver. _ They had been living together, made a life together. They had been partners. Of course they had challenges, but they had got through them. Every single one, except the biggest one of all. 

 

It had started with a phone call from the last person Felicity ever expected to hear from again. Detective Quentin Lance had called to say that Cooper Seldon had murdered two guards and had escaped jail. He was on the loose and they had no idea where he was…

 

Oliver had come home to her that night and found her on the couch, her knees drawn up to her chest and her phone shaking uncontrollably in her hands. She heard his suitcase hit the floor and then he was right there, on his knees in front of her, his hands clasping hers. Her sobs turned ragged and he had calmed her down with soft kisses and gentle hushes. 

 

“Felicity, what’s wrong? What’s happened? Is your mom okay?” 

 

She had maneuvered out of Oliver’s grasp and stood, wiping her eyes. “I...I have to tell you something. Something no one knows, except my mom.”

 

Oliver’s concerned was etched in his furrowed brow and he tried to take her hand, but Felicity stepped back. 

 

“A few years before I moved here, I had just graduated and I...I had this boyfriend...but he had become very possessive and at times could be abusive...so I ended it.” She stared at a piece of knotted timber on the floor, not able to meet Oliver’s eye. “I thought that would be the end of it, but it wasn’t. He started stalking me, leaving inappropriate voicemails, letters, flowers...you name it. His behaviour escalated so I moved back to Vegas to be with my mom. I didn’t tell anyone where I was going, I changed my number...but he found me.”

 

She had heard Oliver exhale loudly and mutter an expletive. 

 

She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and continued on. “I arrived home from work one day and there he was, sitting on the front steps. I felt sick. I was so scared. I had no idea what to do. He didn’t say anything to me. He just got up, traced his finger along my jaw and walked away. I puked after that. Right on top of mom’s garden. Destroyed them…” she muttered. 

 

Oliver had got up and was standing in front of her, gripping both of her elbows. “Felicity, sit down. Your legs are shaking.”

 

“I need to leave, Oliver.”

 

“What?”

 

“I need to leave here. Leave this town. Leave...you. It’s the only way to protect you.”

 

A nervous laugh had slipped through his clenched teeth. “Explain that ridiculous announcement, please.”

 

“He killed my best friend, Oliver, when he tried to interfere. He killed Ray. He got caught and sent to jail, but it was too late. And now, he’s escaped. Murdered two guards and escaped. I got the call a few hours ago. They have no idea where he is.”

 

“Why do you think he will find you here?”

 

“Because that's what he does. He will find me anywhere, Oliver. And to protect you and Sara and Thea, to protect this town, I have to leave. No, Oliver. Don’t try to follow me..”

 

In the five years since she left, Felicity had never forgotten the confusion smothering Oliver’s face. Confusion that turned to realisation that she was actually leaving him, which turned into heartbreak as she turned her back on him, on their life, and walked out the door.

 

The bell over the door rang announcing another arrival into the market and Felicity automatically tensed as she fixed a fake smile at the guy behind the counter, but relaxed her shoulders somewhat when she heard a little boy’s voice. 

 

“Can we buy the family size? Mom said it would be OK…”

 

“I know what your mom -”

 

The voice cut off abruptly and Felicity’s stomach dropped to the floor. She was squeezing the life out of a bag of candy on the counter, trying to remember to breathe because right then it felt like she was being strangled. 

 

She would recognise that voice anywhere. It had been following her around all these years, most of the time encouraging her to keep going, but other times, when she was feeling particularly down, the voice would taunt and torment. 

 

There was no escaping this moment. It was the one that she was there for. 

She released the candy from its death and turned to face him. She exhaled - loudly - and her mouth parted, in surprise, in embarrassment, anxious over what was about to happen. Her eyes landed on the little boy and it sent her reeling. 

 

A chill took over her body and she suddenly felt numb to everything around her. Because  _ of course _ Oliver now had a son. Because  _ of course _ he had moved on. Why did she expect anything else? She left him, breaking both their hearts and with no promise of returning. Did she really expect he would stand still, like she had done? A quiet voice in the back of her mind whispered conspiratorially  _ yes.  _

 

She pressed an unsteady hand to her stomach and took a few deep breaths. “Oliver?” Plastering a smile she absolutely did not feel was entirely true, she walked towards him and his son. “Hi.”

 

“Felicity…”

 

Her name fell from his lips on a whisper and she weathered the onslaught of emotions the memories of him saying her name like that from years gone by. 

 

“Are you okay? I mean, you look well. Are you back? I mean…”

 

“Usually I was the one to talk in sentence fragments.” A nervous laugh filled the air. 

 

Oliver pressed his lips together and shuffled from one foot to the other. 

 

“Uncle Oliver, who is this?”

 

The little boy’s question reached Felicity’s ears and she had to smother a laugh that was threatening to bubble up out of her. The emotional whiplash was leaving her feeling drained and it hadn’t even been two minutes. 

 

“Ah, Roy. This is Felicity. She’s an old...friend.”

 

At that moment, Thea strolled in and basically whooped in delight at seeing Felicity standing there, like she had been expecting her. But she enveloped her in a hug that conveyed  _ everything _ and tears burned at Felicity’s eyes and she hugged Thea back. 

 

“Let me get a good look at you,” Thea demanded, holding Felicity at arm’s length. “You are looking good, woman. Don’t you think, Ollie?” she turned her head and faced Oliver with a sweet smile. 

 

Oliver, who had basically been mute, continued to not say anything. But he did try to level Thea with a look, which she promptly ignored.

 

“Come on, buddy,” Thea grabbed her son’s hand. “Let’s give Uncle Oliver and Aunty Felicity some privacy. Oh, Felicity? We’re having dinner tonight, bit of a housewarming for me and Roy, come along if you’re sticking around.” 

 

Which left Felicity and Oliver standing by the shelves of chutney and jams, both looking and feel supremely awkward. Oliver shoved his hands in his pockets and let go of a long breath. “Perhaps we could continue this outside?” he suggested. 

“Sure!” Felicity replied, clapping her hands together and then offering him two thumbs up. 

 

He held the door open for her and followed her out onto the sidewalk. The street was quiet, for which Felicity was grateful. Now that they were alone, she was finding it hard to look at him. She cleared her throat and looked up and down the street. 

 

“Felicity? Are you okay?” 

 

He had taken a step closer without her realising and he was now close enough that she could see that he had worn the last five years well. He had a few crinkles around his eyes, but they were still as blue and bright as she remembered them. He had grown the scruff on his face a little longer and it looked  _ very nice _ . As did the specks of silver in his shortly cropped hair. 

 

“Um…” she released a shaky breath and pressed a hand to her forehead. “I’m not sure, to be honest. This..I…” she bit her bottom lip hard, fighting the panic bubbling up. “Is it OK that I’m here? I mean, I know how it probably looks..” she trailed off, unable to form her thoughts. 

 

“I am happy to see you,” Oliver offered. 

 

Felicity blinked. “You are?”

 

He smiled at her. Full blown with a little laugh. “Yeah.”

 

The world tilted on its axis and Felicity felt unsteady on her feet. Okay, so her memory had let her down  _ severely _ at what it felt like to have Oliver look at her like that. Like...like he still... _ no. _ She banished that thought immediately. 

 

“Really? Even after what happened? After what I did to you?”

 

He nodded once. “I knew - hoped - you would come back when you were ready to. I can’t imagine what you went through, Felicity. The fear you must have felt at Cooper’s escape..and...and after what happened...after...with your mom.” 

 

She saw him struggle, knowing what he was seeing in his mind. “One of the reasons I came back, other than to say I’m so sorry for what I did to you, how I left, was to say thank you.” At seeing him start to object, she cut him off gently. “No, Oliver. You have no idea what it means to me to know that you were there with my mom at the end. You were with her, when I couldn’t be. Thank you.” 

 

Tears were flowing freely down both their faces, but Oliver couldn’t look at Felicity, overcome with his grief. “I tried to get there. I tried so hard...and I just couldn’t. I couldn’t save her and I’ll forever be sorry for that, Felicity.” 

 

She stepped up to him and wrapped her arms tightly around his solid torso, resting her face on his chest. “I know, Oliver...I know.” 

 

She felt him stiffen at the contact, but she stayed where she was. As much as she wanted to express how much she understood the choices he made, she selfishly needed to feel his warmth around her. Even if it was for just that one moment, even if he didn’t return the embrace; she would carry it away with her. She would use it as the closure they should have had all those years ago. 

  
But then Oliver’s arms closed around her, holding onto her just as tight, pressing his tear-stained face into her hair.


End file.
